In the Imperial Study Room, a group of the Emperor’s trusted ministers were present.
They had all read the letter from Xiao Kun and were still pondering how to phrase their responses. But the more the Emperor on the dragon throne thought about it, the angrier and more incensed she became.
SLAM!
She slammed her palm down on the desk. “I’ll have him dismembered!”
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Your Majesty, please calm down!”
Prince Jing was the first to step forward to placate the Emperor. “Your Majesty, calm yourself. That Xiao Kun is absolutely shameless! I’ll scold him, Your Majesty. I’ll write a letter right now and curse him out! I’ll curse him to death!”
Prince Jing expressed his profound disdain for Xiao Kun’s actions.
Mu Yunlian chuckled. “Longchuan is not a prosperous land. This is likely the best solution they could devise.”
Longchuan was very poor, especially when compared to the Da Wei of today. The difference was stark.
But Xiao Yang didn’t care whether he was poor or not.
‘Does being poor justify his actions?’
Rong Yin said, “It hasn’t started snowing yet. Conquering Longchuan is still feasible.”
Li Wei added, “The army is already at the border. All you need to do is give the order.”
Prince Jing shot back, “Don’t you two add fuel to the fire.”
‘Can’t you see it’s already hard enough to calm Her Majesty down? Why are you fanning the flames?’
Xiao Lv began a meticulous calculation. “Longchuan has thirteen large cities and approximately fifteen small towns. If Your Majesty sends people to govern it, you would need at least seventy scholars and an army of thirty thousand. The number of annual memorials would only be five or six hundred. As for finances, Your Majesty is wealthy; about two million silver taels a year would suffice…”
Xiao Yang shot a look in their direction, and Prince Jing, without a moment’s hesitation, smacked his son on the back of the head.
“Oh, so you’re the only one here who knows arithmetic, is that it?”
After disciplining his son, Prince Jing turned back to the Emperor. “That being said, Your Majesty, Longchuan is extremely remote. It would indeed be rather troublesome.”
“You have already granted Longchuan to Xiao Kun as his fiefdom, so let him govern it. If he is willing to submit to Da Wei, that’s a good thing. Our Da Wei’s territory expands, and we can also have him garrison the border to guard against any counterattacks from the Beimeng forces.”
“He wants talent, so we’ll pick a few to send over. We can teach them how to develop their region. Once it’s developed, we’ll collect taxes. We absolutely won’t let him get a free ride.”
“As for his children, one of them will eventually be the heir to Longchuan. Instead of letting them raise the heir, it would be better for us to do it. Let them serve Your Majesty from a young age to cultivate their loyalty. When they inherit Longchuan in the future, they will be even more devoted.”
With much persuasion, Prince Jing finally managed to talk the Emperor down.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qing was taking his brothers and sisters on a tour of the Capital City. They spent the entire day with their jaws hanging open in amazement.
Xiao Qing hadn’t lied to them. There were bicycles and tricycles everywhere. The roads were wide and smooth. The city was bustling and filled with a dazzling variety of goods, along with countless strange and wonderful things they had never seen before.
Although they had only been inside the Imperial Palace for a short while, and were too nervous to look around much, the sight of it was seared into their minds. The gleaming golden palace, the white jade balustrades, the floors paved with golden bricks, and carvings of golden dragons soaring to the heavens—it was all so luxurious it defied imagination.
The legendary Heavenly Immortal Capital itself could be no grander than this.
Wen Rang had originally been touring with Xiao Qing and the others, but he ran into an old friend and went off on his own.
His friend then gave him a proper tour of the city, and it was a true eye-opener.
In the eastern part of the Capital City were two streets: Ten Thousand Treasures Street and Taiping Street.
Ten Thousand Treasures Street was lined with countless pavilions exhibiting treasures and literary masterpieces from across the realm. After a full tour, Wen Rang was left utterly speechless, moving from one state of shock to the next.
Words could no longer describe the opulence of this place.
And yet, the Emperor simply displayed all these luxurious items for everyone to see.
There were no restrictions based on status; even beggars were allowed to enter and look around.
This level of magnanimity alone surpassed that of all monarchs in history.
And Taiping Street truly lived up to its name, “Supreme Peace.”
Commoners received free medical treatment. With their household registration, every family could receive a subsidy of grain and oil once a year.
A group of children, none of them even as tall as a stool, gathered together, listening to a female teacher’s gentle instruction.
Passersby were mindful of their conduct, refraining from shouting and looking out for children who were running around.
There was a Cining Institute where the elderly, over seventy years of age, could go to eat and drink tea. Not only was it all free, but they could also listen to storytellers and watch operas.
The young were nurtured, the old were supported, the sick were treated, and food was provided.
This was the peaceful world that scholars dreamed of, the Immortal Capital of their fantasies, yet here it was, a reality.
And in the very center of Taiping Street stood a large pavilion.
The pavilion was open on all four sides, accessed by a flight of nine steps. Inside was an enormous topographical model.
It was a complete model of the Capital City.
His friend pointed to different parts of the model, introducing them one by one. “This is the hospital, where the greatest physicians in the realm have gathered. Ailments are categorized for specialized treatment, and anyone, whether noble or commoner, can receive care there. These are the three great Research Institutes, this is the academy…”
By the end of the day, beyond his profound shock, Wen Rang was left with a single, overwhelming thought.
‘Longchuan cannot be independent. Longchuan must forever belong to Da Wei!’
Wen Rang returned and did not sleep the entire night. He mulled over his words and his plan, writing and revising, then revising and writing again. Finally, as dawn broke, he finished the memorial he was most satisfied with.
As dawn broke, he rose from a pile of discarded paper, washed his face, and changed into clean clothes. Without even eating, he headed directly for the Imperial Palace.
The morning court session was already underway. Wen Rang knelt at the bottom of the long, ceremonial steps, holding a memorial aloft with both hands. “Wen Rang of Longchuan requests an audience with Your Majesty.”
The court was in the middle of discussing the matter of Longchuan, so Xiao Yang had him summoned inside.
Wen Rang walked through the center aisle between the ranks of officials, knelt properly in the middle to pay his respects, and then presented his memorial.
“Your Majesty, the Prince is of the Xiao Family bloodline, and Longchuan is a territory conquered by Da Wei. Just as a bloodline cannot be severed, the Prince is willing to garrison the border for Your Majesty with undivided loyalty, to protect our vast Da Wei, and to ensure its everlasting peace.”
Wen Rang’s memorial was presented, inspected, and then delivered to the Emperor.
Xiao Yang read it. The contents detailed Longchuan’s importance to Da Wei, Wen Rang’s own understanding and policies for governing Longchuan, and his trust in and guarantees for Xiao Kun and his brothers.
The memorial was signed with Wen Rang’s name, but it was stamped with Xiao Kun’s private seal.
Xiao Kun trusted Wen Rang implicitly, giving him full authority to negotiate and decide the future of Longchuan.
Xiao Yang didn’t even need to look to know she wouldn’t be able to get rid of Longchuan.
However, the memorial was not entirely useless. At the very least, it offered her some psychological comfort. A person who understood gratitude and was capable of repaying kindness was someone worth compromising for.
“Truly worthy of being King Longchuan’s top advisor. Decisive and resolute.”
Xiao Yang tapped the armrest of her dragon throne. “Da Wei’s territory is vast enough. It makes little difference whether Longchuan is a vassal state or is incorporated into Da Wei. But since you have spoken so plainly, I will give you my decision.”
“Longchuan shall be established as the Longchuan Autonomous Province, part of Da Wei’s territory and subject to the court’s control. The court will dispatch officials to assist in its governance and promote its development. You may apply for weapons, farming tools, and grain seeds to be used for development. The court will establish an inspectorate in Longchuan to supervise their use. As for tribute… we can discuss that later.”
‘It’s not that I look down on their paltry offerings, but I’ll probably end up having to invest even more into the place.’
The heavy weight on Wen Rang’s heart was finally lifted. “On behalf of King Longchuan, this humble subject kowtows and thanks Your Majesty for your heavenly grace.”
Xiao Yang sighed. The Longchuan situation was relatively easy to resolve. Xiao Kun alone could rule it; she just needed to maintain control and prevent him from rebelling.
The real headache now was the Southern Domain. She had just received news that two officials there had died—one bitten to death by insects, the other gored to death by an elephant.
‘Unbelievable!’